Guanyin
The Guanyin from the far-flung island of Houzidao are a stoic and ordered people. Roughly 1.5 metres tall, simian in appearance with strong hands, nimble feet and with a dexterous tail, the Guanyin are a skinny and agile race. Living in strongly hierarchical society, they lead strictly regimented lives. Led by their king in the capital of Beishang, they have gone through dramatic periods of open trade and far travel, to long spells of closed borders and strict bans on voyaging. Much of their society and political process are decided by their king, the king's ordained ministers, and the omens of heaven's will. Society The Kingdom of Kwangou is the home of the Guanyin. Most Guanyin live in small villages or hamlets involved in simple agriculture. The majority of Guanyin live in well-irrigated low lying plains, with numerous large snaking rivers providing a source for irrigation, fishing and a means of transportation. Kwangou has three main large cities, with different smaller provincial cities administering to the villages and hamlets spread through the kingdom. The largest of these three cities is Datang. Access to Datang is strictly controlled, with only ministers, Imperial Crane Zhanshi (highly decorated warriors), eunuchs and trusted court alchemists. The city, in all it's immense size and splendor, serves entirely as an immense palace for the Crane King. The vast majority of the city's buildings and ground serve as an administrative center for the highly bureaucratic kingdom, though immense amount of land and facilities still utilized by the king's court and leisure. The king's servants, concubines, family, advisors, confidants, courtiers and more live in a highly secure inner fortress in the city of Datang. To even step foot in Datang is an immense privilege most Guanyin never dream of, but to even these elite members of Kwangou the idea of stepping foot in the king's Hevanly Court is far beyond the realm of possibility. For the occupants of the king's Hevanly Court in Datang, seeing the king in person is still a very rare occasion, usually occurring once or twice a year, as the king spends the vast majority of time sequestered in private quarters and gardens in meetings with trusted ministers and eunuchs and his principle Court Alchemist. The 2nd largest city is the River-Port city of Heigan. Position on the mouth of the largest river in Kwangou, it controls the trade coming out of and going into the interior of the island nation, and is also positioned in a strategic bay. As a contrast to Datang, it is a chaotic city, with the majority of policing regulating only the cargo going through the city and ensuring customs are paid. This is the singular area of concern for the magistrate of the city, with matters of law, order, and maintenance being secondary to collecting duties and inspecting cargo. Due to this, the population of Heigan usually organise themselves into neighborhood Jiating, or 'Families' that organize local matters democratically. The 3rd largest city is the western mountain city of Shancheng, a citadel that houses many military barracks, supply depots and is the focal point of the Westwall, a massive stone fortification stretching across the whole west side of Kwangou. This city is the lynchpin of the nation's defense against the constant assaults by the goblins inhabiting the mountains to thier west and the orcs inhabiting the Haidao Islands to the west of Kwangou. This city is home to many artisans, miners, philosophers, and soldiers and has weathered many reckless assaults by the goblin tribes and orc clans that skirmish along the west border of Kwangou. Religion The Guanyin approach to religion is unconventional. They believe themselves to be spirits trapped in material forms for some unknown past deeds of their ancestors, and practice a mix of ancestor worship and deification of the "Noble Attributes" to whom they ascribe godhood. Any individual Guanyin most likely has a shrine or ritual to pay respect to a renowned family patriarch or matriarch for heroic deeds or noble forbearance, and a specific deity they feel a personal connection with. Zouachan is an example of one of these "Noble Attributes" they deify, being the deity of patience and insight. Other deities include: *Damoa, the deity of instruction and teaching *Tongching, the deity of compassion *Zhengyi, the deity of justice *Pianyu, the deity of deception *Diulee, the deity of order *Quanlong, the deity of honesty *Zongchun, the deity of desire *Shijian, the deity of ambition +1 wisdom, +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, Brewers Tools, History Proficiency, Acrobatics Proficiency.